


Larry Shands meet The Tomlinson-Styles, GQ UK September edition 2030

by SophiaSoames



Series: The Epilogue Series [1]
Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Adoption, Canon Compliant, Children, Food, Future Fic, GQ magazine, M/M, Marriage, Surrogacy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-08-07 10:45:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7711930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaSoames/pseuds/SophiaSoames
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first of the Epilogue series, this interview was first published in GQ UK in September 2030. </p><p>Larry Shands is a freelance journalist, who writes for magazines such as Red, Elle, Vanity Fair and Attitude. He is a father of 3, and the brainchild of a group of overexcited grown up women having the most fun midlife crisis ever, fuelled by One Direction, Twitter and an unexplained craving for Starbucks runs in bare feet, yellow bicycles and epic manbuns. This is his first interview with the Tomlinsson-Styles family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Larry Shands meet The Tomlinson-Styles, GQ UK September edition 2030

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work of fiction, and all references to actual human beings is purely coincidental. The author does not claim that this is in any way related to the truth, or to the lovely humans who share these names. 
> 
> References to ''Cut and Run'' by the wonderful Abigail Roux, a wonderful M/M erotic thriller, and well worth a read.  
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cut-Run-Madeleine-Urban/dp/193519223X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470651700&sr=8-1&keywords=cut+and+run+abigail+roux
> 
> As always a HUGE thank you to A who has masterfully edited and added sparkle to the original version.  
> .

GQ interview by Larry Shands June 2030 published in the September issue 2030.

If you had told me, 15 years ago, that I would one day be interviewing Harry Styles, I would have laughed. Of course I knew who he was back then, he and the rest of his colleagues in the hugely successful boy band One Direction: Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik. The band had formed on Simon Cowell's reality TV show The X Factor, and enjoyed massive success over a few years in the early teens of this century, producing hits such as “Little Things” and “Drag Me Down” (recently covered by Belfast band The Turdfairies). By 2015 as far as I was concerned they had exhausted their fan base; the 11-year-olds in pigtails had moved on to Justin Bieber, The 1975 and whoever was next in the world of celebrity teen pop stars, and One Direction had had their day. Social media scrutinized the boys' every move following the band's split, as each effortlessly moved on to different projects, and slowly the world appeared to deem the band members ready for retirement, just as they reached their early twenties. So I wasn't expecting anything else than a slow fade back into obscurity for the former reality show stars, and an interview with Harry Styles would not have been at the top of my wish list 15 years ago. I agreed the boy was a handsome chap, and he had always left a good impression with colleagues who had met him, but back then I could not see where his future would lie.

I think, had I scratched the surface a little 15 years ago, I might have thought differently, and as we now know, life for the One Direction boys has never really slowed down. While they never returned to the stage as a band again, their work in the entertainment industry has criss-crossed for the last 15 years, producing projects like Never See The Sun, the acclaimed film which boasts both a soundtrack written by Liam Payne and an Oscar-winning performance by Harry Styles, and the collaboration between Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik in set-ting up the ITV reality show I’m In The Band – a show responsible for giving the world bands like The Faith Penguins, Primallass and multiple Brit- and Grammy-winners The Lellylous.

So today, walking from the tube station towards the home Harry shares with former band mate (and now husband) Louis, I am actually a little nervous. As a journalist who has interviewed many celebrity couples before, I usually have some idea of what to expect, but today I feel at a loss. Tomlinson has been known to throw epic tantrums off camera, and tweets by former I'm In The Band judge and now Grammy winner Nina Cali described him as “utterly charming when nice and hell on wheels when displeased”. Styles, on the other hand, has rarely had a bad word uttered about him, except being once described as “adorably slow” during the band's early days. The Tomlinson-Styles, as they refer to themselves, have rarely been interviewed, and have somehow managed to keep their private lives shrouded in mystery from the start of their careers. While Tomlinson has been a frequent face on TV through his 4-season run of I’m In The Band, Styles has kept his public appearances between acting jobs to a minimum, preferring to raise the couple's four children in their London home. His recent TV cooking show Dad’s Kitchen, co-produced by Niall Horan and Tomlinson, has proved a massive hit, and series two has just finished filming, placing Styles firmly back in the spotlight with British TV audiences. In the meantime, his latest Hollywood film, Conquest, starring opposite Nell Janine and Michael Fassbender, opens at Christmas, meaning the next couple of months will be busy for the ever-growing family.

I realize that my fears about meeting the Tomlinson-Styles are completely unfounded as I find myself seated at their massive kitchen table in the former Home Counties convent that they have lovingly restored and called home for the past 12 years. As a father myself I cannot help smiling at the sheer chaos of this family of six, soon to be seven. “I don’t think I was ready to stop having kids,” Styles confesses. “I can’t see us stopping now, either. It's pure chaos most of the time, but the kids are the love of my life. I just can’t see myself without one in my arms, one on my shoulders and a pram in tow anymore.” Tomlinson, on the other hand, stage-whispers from behind Styles, shaking his head and mouthing “Last one, definitely! No more!!!” while lovingly grasping a handful of Styles' greying curls and placing a kiss on two-year-old Bram’s head, fast asleep on Styles' lap. The couple’s teenage sons Freddie (Tomlinson’s son from a former relationship) and Oli are thundering up and down the stairs getting ready for football practice, shouting requests for clean socks and lost shoes, while daughter Hermione, who is lovingly known as Mimi, is in the garden jumping on the trampoline and calling for Styles' constant attention and praise for her jumps and tricks. “It's relentless, never ending, the fatherhood thing,” he sighs. “I don’t think I have had a full night's sleep in the last 14 years, but hey, I wouldn’t change a thing with these little monsters.” The couple have never spoken of their children’s origins, but there is no doubt that Mimi is Styles' daughter, sporting, as she does, the same trademark curls and dimples. I ask if they mind talking about the children, and Tomlinson joins us with cups of freshly brewed coffee as he quietly speaks about their family. They have adopted, and used a surrogate who is a friend of the family, and are close to all of their children's mothers, having chosen the open adoption route with Oli to ensure that all the children have a maternal figure in their lives. Their youngest will be born via their surrogate again, and while they are careful about revealing the details, they are adamant they have never wanted to find out which one of them is the biological father of any of their children. “Does it really matter?” Styles says in his trade-mark Cheshire drawl. “Would I love these kids any different if I knew? They are mine and Lou’s kids, our kids no matter what, and they know that.”

Styles has enjoyed a varied and successful acting career over the last few years, and I ask if he feels he has had an easy ride, having never received any formal acting training. He blushes and smiles in an endearing way; despite being in his late 30s he has not lost any of his boyish charm. “I have been very lucky,” he says. “I know that. I haven’t chosen easy roles, and I have had a lot of directors taking huge chances on me, but I think I have proved myself in what I have done. I’m rubbish in action roles – I’m a big wuss, really, and I get hurt more than I deliver,” he continues, referring to his role in thriller Cut and Run, where he famously broke his leg while filming opposite Shawn Mendez. “It bloody hurt my leg more than my pride, though,” he laughs, stretching his limb and gently shifting his sleeping son to his other arm. “I still limp when I get tired. It’s never really been right again.” He smiles at Tomlinson who gently gives his hair a tug, careful not to wake their son. Styles' role as gay FBI agent Ty Grady in Cut and Run made history as the film became the biggest box-office grossing gay-themed movie of all time, beating Brokeback Mountain by miles. The serial killer romance turned Styles into a major player in the acting world, and cemented his reputation as an actor who could pull off both gay and straight roles with panache and to rave reviews. Even in this day and age this is an unusual trait in an actor. Styles claims still to be confused by the issue. “Sexuality should never be an issue for an actor,’’ he says quietly. “An actor should act. I’m never playing me – gay or straight or something in between. It’s an act, it’s a bloody film with a script. Cut and Run was very defining for the industry, but for me it was a just a great role, and I got to play at being an action hero – with disastrous results at times.’’ Will there ever be a sequel, I ask? “Nah. I think Shawn and I are too old to do the whole muscle man thing again. I mean, I still work out, but I’m older, and I have four kids to look after, and the thought of spending three hours in the gym every day... It's just not going to happen.” He smiles and shakes his head. “The kids would love it, though, me doing another action film. It gives them street cred, you know? Voicing a Disney prince was cool, too. They still tell people their dad is Prince Dorian from The Dreamcatcher. “Mimi still thinks it’s Prince Dorito, though,” Tomlinson says with a grin, before going out to the garden, clutching his two-year-old who has just woken up.

Tomlinson comes across as a completely different man to the one we see on TV. He is sharp and loud with his teenage sons, shouting commands and issuing threats of groundings over mud on the carpet, yet he seems to be completely in awe of Styles, and the fondness between the two of them is clear to see. ‘’We have been together since Harry was 16 and I was 18. It’s a long time, and we have known each other more than half our lives now. I’m not saying it’s been a fairy tale, we have had some pretty crap times, and split up and got back together more times than we have had hot dinners, I tell you. But I always hoped that we would end up like this, settled, married, and content, with a truckload of kids. I’m from a big family and I always knew I wanted loads of children, and Harry was just desperate to be a dad from the start. I think he would have started sooner if we could have.” “I would have adopted at 16, If people had let me,’’ Styles laughs as he offers me another coffee. Tomlinson’s ‘’I’m in the band’’ show will start filming season 5 after Christmas, and he beams with excitement when I tell him that I’m a massive fan of the program. ‘’I’m buzzing with excitement, he laughs, I wish I could give you all the gossip, but let me just say we will have some great names on the judging panel this year, and there are some awesome contestants lined up’’ Rapper LBF has been mentioned, and Tomlinson just laughes when I mention her. ‘’You won’t get the gossip from me mate, Malik would kill me!’’  
I’m with the band had seemed like a risky move when it launched in 2022, after most other talent shows had folded. But it revolutionized the format by judging contestants on musical talent only, choosing 40 musicians spread over countless instruments and genres from the thousands who applied, and letting them form 8 bands for the show. The twist of bands being able to steal and swap members, and the lack of elimination was a hit with audiences, and by season two the big established names like Mia Kulpa and Tate Logan were lining up to mentor the bands. ‘’It brought the love of instruments back to the audience, and I would like to think we were somehow responsible for bringing a change to the industry where we now see some great proper musicians in the charts, and bands that can sing, write and play. I think the public really like the raw format of the show, there is nothing staged, nothing contrived.’’ Tomlinson muses. 

I am only meant to stay for an hour, working through the list of 20 questions that I had prepared. I was going to ask about future roles, about the persistent rumours at the beginning of their career, and about the other One Direction members, but after two hours drinking coffee with the Tomlinson-Styles I find myself chopping onions for dinner, talking about the difference between a good olive oil and a crap one that is only good for emergency foot massages. Styles is a lifelong foodie, having grown up in the pub trade and briefly worked as a baker, and he turns out to be just as charismatic in his own kitchen as we have seen him in his cooking show. He is making strozzapreti with pesto rosso, and the pesto is – as you would expect – home made with basil that Tomlinson brings in from the garden. The Grana Padano is from a local cheese shop that is owned by the their son’s best friend's parents. There are tales of cheeses being smuggled into school and forgotten about in book bags, bringing out laughter from Freddie and Oli. who have returned from football practice covered in mud and sweat, and have been swaddled in kisses and cuddles from their fathers while they help themselves to drinks and steal mouthfuls of pasta straight from the pan. “I swear I cook for 14 people most nights,” Styles sighs, as he swats the boys away with a well used tea towel. “There are never leftovers, however many portions I cook. Teenage boys and all that,” he mutters, while shouting for the table to be laid and condiments to be brought in from the pantry.

I end up staying for dinner, being effortlessly handed a spoon and a muslin cloth to help feed Bram while Tomlinson discusses football with the older boys over dessert. It is home made again, of course, and six-year-old Mimi explains the recipe with ease, knowing the difference between flours and raising agents like a pro. The sunken chocolate cake is delicious, and it is not until I am back in my own home two hours later that I notice the pasta sauce splattered on my shirt and the remnants of chocolate cake on my chin. There is basil between my front teeth as well, and for a moment I cringe with embarrassment at not having noticed this before hugging the Tomlinson-Styles goodbye. To be honest, they would not have noticed either – I never did tell Harry Styles that he had a piece of pasta stuck in his hair when I left. He is a dad after all, he will live.

Larry Shands 2030, All rights reserved.


End file.
